This invention relates to a new and improved lubricant applicator for conveyor systems, especially in large facilities used in food processing, packaging plants, and the like. Typically, conveyors contemplated by this invention are used in food canning and soft drink manufacturing facilities, breweries, packaging facilities, dairies, etc. Moreover, this invention can be employed in industrial operations in general.
Conveyors employed in some of the large facilities noted
above are generally very long, and some can extend for as much as several hundred feet; the conveyor components themselves are also very heavy. If they are not lubricated, the conveyors will become excessively worn and ultimately break. If this occurs, and because conveyors can operate with heavy loading and under high tension, chain breakage is extremely dangerous. As a result, the industry practice is to over-lubricate these conveyors, which is not only expensive, but in addition, excessive lubricant causes a slippery condition that is dangerous to personnel.
It would be preferable to eliminate the need to lubricate a conveyor when a particular section of a conveyor system is shut down, either temporarily during a run, or for periods of time, say during a shift change, or for repairs, and during routine maintenance, etc. This would result in lubricant savings and also reduce sewage charges due to excessive use.
In Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,481 issued Jul. 14, 1992, there is described a conveyor driven system which connects through a bladder accumulator which feeds lubricant through nozzle applicators and onto the conveyor, the application times being controlled by the conveyor movement.
The patented system is adapted t replace conventional electrical actuated devices which are expensive, and subject to electrical breakdowns due to moisture accumulation which causes maintenance problems and slows down plant operations.
One problem arising with bladder accumulators is that the response time of the accumulator is not sufficiently rapid to feed the lubricant in a pulsating manner to a very rapidly moving conveyor system. Instead, the bladder accumulator applies lubricant continuously to the rapidly moving conveyor rather than on an intermittent or pulsating basis, and this type of operation precludes an effective control of lubricant application.
In addition, each station where lubricant is applied requires a bladder accumulator and associated equipment. However, it would be preferred to use a single lubricant applicator system to service, say, multiple lubrication stations instead of only a single station.
Also, it would be preferred to control the application of lubricant, not only to a rapidly moving conveyor, and to control multiple lubrication stations, but also to avoid the use of an electrically controlled applicator system.